HOUSTON, Texas – Conference USA has named Florida Atlantic first baseman Nolan Schanuel as its Player of the Year, the league announced Tuesday.
C-USA also released the all-conference and all-freshman teams. In addition to Schanuel, Jackson Ross was named to the first team, Dylan Goldstein earned second team honors, and Tyler Murphy was voted as a member of the all-freshman team.
“I am incredibly honored and blessed to win Player of the Year,” commented Schanuel. “My heartfelt gratitude goes to my teammates and coaches whose unwavering support and guidance have been invaluable on this journey.”
For Schanuel, the award adds another layer to a historic three-year career. After being named C-USA Preseason Player of the Year and a preseason all-american by four major college baseball publications, Schanuel has exceeded even the highest of expectations. He leads all of Division I in batting average (.460), on base percentage (.623), and walks (67). He also ranks first in C-USA in hits (86), runs (68), and total bases (166). He enters the first game of the C-USA postseason tournament having reached base in 51 straight games – tied for the longest active streak in Division I. Schanuel is the third player in program history to earn C-USA Player of the Year honors (Brendon Sanger, 2015 and C.J. Chatham, 2016).
“Well deserved, added head coach John McCormack. “I haven’t seen a guy have a year like Nolan is having in my whole college career. He works hard, he cares, he’s diligent. He deserves it.”
Ross has hit directly in front of Schanuel in the two-spot in the Owls lineup all season. The senior is second to his fellow corner infielder in nearly every offensive category. He’s set new career highs in home runs (12) and RBI (54). He’s tied for the team lead in doubles (18). Ross has 25 multi-hit games and three 5+ RBI games.
Goldstein has found a home in the cleanup spot for the Owls, directly behind Schanuel in the order. The second-year Owl has built on a successful 2022 campaign with 12 home runs and 61 RBI (one behind Schanuel for the team lead). It’s the second consecutive season Goldstein has earned second team honors from C-USA.
Murphy has filled a variety of roles in his first season as an Owl, most recently finding himself in the starting rotation for the last two weeks of the regular season. The Martin County HS product made waves early in the season when he threw two shutout innings at No. 6 Florida in his first career start.
For the full release from Conference USA visit https://conferenceusa.com/sports/baseball.
